


Playing

by Lady Lecter (RoNask)



Category: Hannibal Lecter Tetralogy - Thomas Harris
Genre: F/M, I'm very proud of myself, XD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 20:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoNask/pseuds/Lady%20Lecter
Summary: Dr Lecter has an unexpected guest. She has a request, he has something to ask.





	Playing

“Of course. Thank you so much” Dr Lecter said before hanging up and placing the phone on the kitchen island.  
A sudden knock on the front door caught all his attention, diverting it from the phone call he just had. The good doctor walked towards the door and studied the person on the other side. There was surprise and curiosity in his expression when he opened the door, along with a smile.  
She was looking down, her hands were sweating a little. When her eyes found the light from the door being opened she looked up and corrected her posture, put on a smile and tried not to appear as lost as she felt.  
“Good evening, Doctor. I’m sorry to come by unannounced, I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said quickly glancing over his shoulder but seeing little, she gave him a small embarrassed smile.  
“Good evening to you, Agent Starling. And you do not interrupt at all, would you like to come in?” his tone was a delight to hear, his words felt as if he had caressed each one of them. He might as well just caress her cheek, it would make her a little less red.  
“I would, yes” she replied, entering the house when he gave her space and then watching him close the door.  
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be at the ceremony,” the doctor said turning to face her.  
Starling put a strand of her behind her ear, looking away from him. “It’s alright, really. It was nice but I don’t think it was your kind of party.” she chuckled facing him.  
“It was important to you” he argued as if that was more than enough reason for him to be sorry for his absence. The thought was making her blush and she hated herself for it. “How are your cooking skills?”  
“In the trash bin, last time I checked”  
He gave her a smile. “We could work on that, if you had gotten here a little earlier, now I’m afraid I’ll have to ask just for your company. May I take your coat?”  
As he took her coat and hang it, she wondered what was it about him. He was older, charming yes but older, she never had a thing for older men before. He was older, charming, highly educated and, from what she heard, the man knew how to cook; this was probably just the beginning of it.  
Clarice walked with him to the kitchen, sat on a high chair he offered her, and watched as he did his kitchen magic. He assured her she was not imposing or anything twice because she was a little more anxious than normal.  
“I really should have called” she muttered.  
“I enjoyed the surprise, my dear, rest assured of that,” he said, focused on some arranged of the food. “Though, I do have to ask: to what do I owe the pleasure?”  
“Oh! Ah, well, I’m actually here for some business” Starling confessed making him look up for a moment. She hesitated. “Mr Crawford wanted me to talk to you,” something on his eyes made her jump to the important part. “he and I talked and I think it would be in the FBI’s interest to have you as our consultant. If you’re interested, of course.”  
Lecter stood up, watching her before looking away as if considering.  
“We had a great experience on the Buffalo Bill case, we would not have done it without your help and I think we can help more people with you around”  
“‘We can help’, my dear? I take it I would be working with Agent Crawford’s section”  
“Well, yes but--”  
“No”  
Starling was a bit thrown back at the quick response. “I’m sorry, Doctor, may--”  
“Yes, you may know why. I have no interest in working with the FBI, Clarice”  
She let out a nervous laugh. “But, Doctor, you’ve just come out of an--”  
“I said I have no interest in working with the FBI, however, I am interested in working with you”  
Clarice felt the heat taking over her cheeks, felt his eyes focused on hers, burning. For a moment she thought she might be sweating, she also wondered what in the seven hells was wrong with her and how come he made her feel this way.  
Lecter smiled and faced the meal again, finishing whatever he was doing with it, giving her time to absorb the information he had just thrown her way.  
“It is a condition” he added. “I can work with the FBI if I have you as a partner”  
“I might be in the spotlight now, Doctor, but that doesn’t mean--”  
“This is not about the fame, Clarice, this is about you.” he put the food in the oven then turned to face her, leaning over the kitchen island. “I don’t believe in the institution, I believe in you, I believe you will do the right thing.”  
That made her chest full and her smile strong. “That I can assure you of, Dr Lecter”  
“Good. I take you’ll take my condition to Agent Crawford”  
“Yes, I will, sir.”  
“Then we have a deal. I hope that is as satisfying as you expected.”  
His last phrase caught her attention. “Pardon me, Doctor?”  
“Advancement” he stated. “Are you basking in it now, Agent Starling?”  
She saw amusement in his eyes and the smile of someone who is sharing a secret, she smiled back. “I have to confess I do, sir.”  
“I’m glad.” Lecter moved closer to her. “I do have something to ask you, Clarice”  
“Well, ask away, Doctor,” she said shooting him a quick glance up and down, noticing he was teasing the border of her personal space. Things getting more and more interesting as they went.  
“I ask for permission to court you,” he said simply, eyes focused on hers. “I hope you don’t find it inappropriate now with the possibility of us working together. It is of poor timing, I admit but your visit part of the reason I’m asking this”  
“How so, Doctor?” she evaded and he noticed but decided to give her the time to dance around his proposition.  
“You could have asked for my assistance by phone, yet you decided to stop by without a call, even knowing my appreciation for politeness. I can assume something else made you come, made you take the risk.” at some point his finger had found her chin, caught her undivided attention to himself.  
“I wanted to see you” she confessed. “It sounded… Disappointing to lose contact and I’m aware of how busy I might get, how I would use it as an excuse”  
“You used a moment of blind courage”  
“Yes”  
He smiled. “I appreciate your honesty, Clarice”  
“You asked for permission to court me,” she said, eyes focused on his, this felt as intimate as when she was sharing her past with him. She wondered if this was what it would feel like to end up in his bed. “Why, Doctor, I didn’t think you had taken such interest in me.” her tone was as teasing as the smile he gave her when she finished.  
“I believe we talked about lies before, Clarice.”  
“We did? Must have escaped my mind”  
It felt like playing with a big cat, she felt like one herself, felt like his equal and perhaps that was exactly what he had intended.  
“Well, my dear, you owe me an answer” he prompted.  
“Yes, Dr Lecter, you have my permission” she gave. “As old-fashioned as it may sound.”  
“I can be old-fashioned myself.”  
“I’m aware.”  
Clarice took another moment of blind courage, a moment of audacity, and shamelessly watched his lips before looking back at him. If she bit her lip it was unconscious but it served to make all her cravings clear.  
Hannibal indulged her, leaning in. His lips brushed hers before actually kissing her.  
It was a slow and deep kiss, it sent a wave down her body, awoke nerve endings she wasn’t willing to admit just yet, not that she thought she would have to, he would probably know. It made her warm, felt like a glimpse of how his courting would be like. He would have her craving much more yet would take his precious time just because he could and because he enjoyed seeing her agitated.  
Their foreheads held contact when the kiss ended. Clarice was sure her cheeks were red and was delighted to find she was not the only one panting softly. Their eyes met and he gave a smile when the stove made a noise, the warning of a timer, a reason to make her wait, a reason she couldn’t fight.  
Clarice watched him work with the food, have it beautifully decorated into two plates, she got up from the chair. “Let me set the table”  
He didn’t look up, just smiled. “You’ll find the wine in the refrigerator and the silverware in the second drawer to your right”  
She nodded and followed his instructions, heard him walking to the dining room but not before a quiet comment:  
“Let the courting begin”  
Starling smiled, sensing a pleasant game ahead.


End file.
